need new pup to be a guard dog

Lagoona Blue

Hi there had a recent break in in the house . My female westie was home at the time but I bet she literally waved at the burgulars ! she's a house dog and spoiled , very placid and never barks unless she sees another dog . So after a scary experience of break in and not feeling safe we have decided to get a dog who will guard the house and garden .
We got a male japenese akita . He's a feisty little fella! he's only 11 weeks old . He's in the house all the time just goes out to go toilet .
The plan is to have him guard the back garden (very large and enclosed ) but right next door to a large public park which is a haven lately for undesirables .
He will be sleeping in the house at night but when I am out during the day I plan to have him outside in a kennell.

so my questions are : will he follow the behaviour of my westie and become very placid and friendly to strangers . If so how do I make sure this doesn't happen .

How do I get him used to the back garden and do I need to train him to protect the property or will this come naturally to him .

Ideally we would like him to mix well with the family (which he is doing ) . We have 4 children under 10 . but also to protect the property .

Any advice or comments appreciated thanks in advance .

andreac

One thing i will say is do not encourage the dog to be aggressive and guard etc, this will come naturally to most dogs anyway.

Akitas tend to be very aloof and stand offish with strangers anyway so you just need to be careful and i would make sure your dog is well socialised from now onwards.

scudzilla

If you integrate him properly with the family his 'guarding' instinct of looking after you and the property will come naturally.

The last thing you should be doing is just leaving him in the back yard to guard and have not much interaction.

Lagoona Blue

scudzilla wrote: »

If you integrate him properly with the family his 'guarding' instinct of looking after you and the property will come naturally.

The last thing you should be doing is just leaving him in the back yard to guard and have not much interaction.

Hi thanks for the replies . Yes ^^^ this is definately what I do not want to do . I need to find that mix that he is friendly with us but not strangers . I think it's awful when people get a dog to guard and leave him outside on a chain . I guess we are doing everything we can so , with him inside interacting with us and the kids , I gather this is what you guys mean by socilaisation yes ? sorry for all the questions but I just want to make sure he doesn't turn out like my westie:D so if I'm out walking him should I let strangers pet him or not ?

andreac

No, socialisation is being out and about with people, new surroundings, other dogs, other people, training classes etc. You need to make sure this is done now at the crucial stage of the pups development.

andreac

Lagoona Blue wrote: »

sorry for all the questions but I just want to make sure he doesn't turn out like my westie:D so if I'm out walking him should I let strangers pet him or not ?

Yes, absolutely!!

Lagoona Blue

andreac wrote: »

No, socialisation is being out and about with people, new surroundings, other dogs, other people, training classes etc. You need to make sure this is done now at the crucial stage of the pups development.

yes I agree. he just had his first vac so I need to wait a while before I can take him outside .

andreac

Ah yeah of course, wait until the vaccs are finished and then get him out.

Lagoona Blue

andreac wrote: »

Yes, absolutely!!

Thanks andreac , maybe silly question but by letting strangers pet him am I going to make him friendly to strangers ? if strangers come in to the house when I am not here (burgulars ) he might think this is ok ? This is what my westie does .

andreac

Do you mind me asking how comes hes only had one vaccine at 11 weeks old? Did the breeder not vaccinate him?

andreac

Lagoona Blue wrote: »

Thanks andreac , maybe silly question but by letting strangers pet him am I going to make him friendly to strangers ? if strangers come in to the house when I am not here (burgulars ) he might think this is ok ? This is what my westie does .

Not at all. You need to tread very carefully if this is the approach you want to take as its not the right one. The dog will sense if you are happy with this person talking to/petting him and gauge your reaction.

Its a very different situation if a burgalar comes in, trust me, dogs are very clever.
I would ensure that your dogs gets lots of interaction with strangers when out on walks in public, its crucial for their social skills and development so please make sure you do the right thing by your dog or you could end up with a huge problem on your hands.

Lagoona Blue

andreac wrote: »

Do you mind me asking how comes hes only had one vaccine at 11 weeks old? Did the breeder not vaccinate him?

nope was promised the sun moon and stars on the phone , said he had vac's etc .... different story when we got there . Should have walked away but didn't .

Bullseye1

Have to say I am not comfortable with strangers petting my dog while out on a walk. I like to be in control and it must be strictly supervised.

andreac

Lagoona Blue wrote: »

nope was promised the sun moon and stars on the phone , said he had vac's etc .... different story when we got there . Should have walked away but didn't .

You serious?? You really should have walked away to be honest. Did you even get his IKC papers? Make sure the pup is wormed as well.

kylith

You need to socialise him with strangers. Not doing this could lead to huge behaviour problems down the road, like aggressive behaviour in public, or with visitors to your home; you do not want an Akita who won't allow visitors, the breed has a bad enough reputation as it is. Socialise him as you would any other dog, his guarding instinct will kick in when he's a bit older.

andreac

Bullseye1 wrote: »

Have to say I am not comfortable with strangers petting my dog while out on a walk. I like to be in control and it must be strictly supervised.

Thats what i mean, dont be put off by people wanting to pet the pup though. If someone wants to say hello to my dogs and im happy about it then its no problem.

Lagoona Blue

andreac wrote: »

You serious?? You really should have walked away to be honest. Did you even get his IKC papers? Make sure the pup is wormed as well.

I would have walked away but OH and kids fell in love . I read a lot on this forum and I'm aware of the do's and don't's when getting a pup . I wasn't too happy as the info on the phone was different to the info when we got there but this puppy won the kids over !! we saw him with his parents and siblings , parents were well socialised and friendly , living indoors . I was dissapointed about vacs but all else seemed well , the pups seemed well looked after , I think it was just laziness on their part .

scudzilla

Lagoona Blue wrote: »

Thanks andreac , maybe silly question but by letting strangers pet him am I going to make him friendly to strangers ? if strangers come in to the house when I am not here (burgulars ) he might think this is ok ? This is what my westie does .

Our dog, A Boxer, is great with strangers outside the gaff, but if anybody comes around that she doesn't know, or anybody has the cheek to knock on HER door then it's a different matter!!

We never trained her for this, her protective instinct of looking after us and our propert comes naturally

westies4ever

are you sure you've got a westie? (kidding :P) My two go baloobas at anyone who comes within 20 feet of the house! They're renowned for being great little guard dogs!

Knine

The advice above is excellent.. You want a well socialised, confident dog who is not afraid of people.

A nervous dog no matter what breed who is not socialised will more then likely run or hide in a corner tail tucked barking.

I had an incident 2 years ago where a hoody clad junkie staggered towards me one night looking for my phone, well my 5.5kg terrier who is extremely friendly turned into a snarling fiend!

Lagoona Blue

westies4ever wrote: »

are you sure you've got a westie? (kidding :P) My two go baloobas at anyone who comes within 20 feet of the house! They're renowned for being great little guard dogs!

I know !!! the westie breed is supposed to be yappy . mine is 4 and she is a real sweetheart , which is nice but she is a sweetheart with everyone even undesirables . Anyone who will pet her she is delighted with them . where did I go wrong lol.

Lagoona Blue

Knine wrote: »

The advice above is excellent.. You want a well socialised, confident dog who is not afraid of people.

A nervous dog no matter what breed who is not socialised will more then likely run or hide in a corner tail tucked barking.

I had an incident 2 years ago where a hoody clad junkie staggered towards me one night looking for my phone, well my 5.5kg terrier who is extremely friendly turned into a snarling fiend!

Thanks for the advice . This is exactly what I want in my fella . A loyal pal but also someone who I can feel safe with

ABajaninCork

My dog is very friendly. Until you dare to pass the house. Then it's a different story!!

Dog goes bananas!! Barking, growling and snarling at the intruder. But once inside, and we tell him it's OK, then it's a big smiley face and wagging tail...

His favourite hobby is barking at the postman. Fortunately, the postie knows the dog, and takes no notice of him. Funny though - if we meet the postie on his rounds, the dog greets him with big wags of his tail!

fatmammycat

+1 on the socialisation. I've a GSD, very good with people and dogs when out and about- particularly gentle with small dogs which is something I was very proactive in training into him. But hes loud and vocal and protective of the house. He's a year old now and turning into an excellent guard dog naturally. Good socialisation fosters confidence in a dog, which is excellent. The last thing you want is a nervous or fearful Akita.

BillyMitchel

Just because you got a dog that known as a guardian breed it doesn't automatically mean its going to guard.

You're talking 18+ months before the dog is developed and full mature. Before then maybe the look and a bark will be enough to keep someone away but don't expect to much too soon and even then without testing and training there is no guarantee that he'll stop someone if they broke in. A lot can come down to the lines of the dog and the individual dog itself.

Sorry to hear about your house and enjoy your pup!

Rommie

Lagoona Blue wrote: »

I would have walked away but OH and kids fell in love . I read a lot on this forum and I'm aware of the do's and don't's when getting a pup . I wasn't too happy as the info on the phone was different to the info when we got there but this puppy won the kids over !! we saw him with his parents and siblings , parents were well socialised and friendly , living indoors . I was dissapointed about vacs but all else seemed well , the pups seemed well looked after , I think it was just laziness on their part .

Okay so hate to burst your bubble, but there is no such thing as a japanese akita in Ireland. That should have been the first clue as to the breeder being less than ethical. The breed is called the akita inu, so clearly the breeders have no idea what kind of dogs they even have. They wanted your money and they got it, which unfortunately will just encourage them to breed again and sucker in more people.

Anyway, on the guarding topic. Socialise, socialise, socialise. It doesn't matter if you want this dog to be a guard dog, if you don't socialise an akita you are going to have a serious problem on your hands. You probably won't see any guarding instinct until he is at least 18months, it's almost like a switch flicks and suddenly they begin to bark at anyone who steps anywhere near your property. There is no need to train them to be guard dogs, their own instinct will ensure they are ready to protect when it comes to it.

boomerang

I think it's really important that your Akita is a pet, first and foremost. Yes as the dog matures he will naturally prove a deterrent to anyone coming into the house or garden uninvited. But if his life is just to be in the garden by day and indoors by night, you'll have a dog that is fearful of going anywhere different, meeting anyone new, and any dogs he doesn't recognise. People already find Akitas intimidating, never mind an Akita that's fearful and barks and lunges at passing people and/or their dogs when you're out on a walk. No one will appreciate the fact that your dog is scared - they will assume he's vicious and you'll come in for a lot of abuse.

For a big, strong dog like an Akita lack of confidence is an absolute disaster. He'll effectively be a prisoner in his own home.

Do all the things with your Akita that you would to do to help any puppy develop into a happy, well-adjusted dog. It's even more important that you do this with a naturally reserved breed like the Akita. When people talk about socialisation, this is what they're getting at:

http://woofology.com/DrYinPupSocializationList[1].pdf


Hope that helps

Rommie

Akitas are naturally supposed to be good with children btw, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't be socialised with them. Bring your pup past schools when the kids are getting out, past playgrounds and generally just about everywhere with you once he is fully vaccinated to ensure he gets as much socialisation as possible. Unfortunately, as an akita inu, he will be required to be muzzled in public under the restricted breeds act

ShaShaBear

To be honest, and I know it might not be on topic, but if anyone ever broke into my house when I wasn't here, I would pray and hope that Shadow would lie down and be quiet, or hide! Last thing I would want is to come home and find he had been seriously injured or even killed because he tried to defend my meager belongings. There's nothing in this house more valuable and irreplaceable than my dog.

DBB

I also have to back up the advice to get your pup as socialised as you can possibly manage: this must be done by 12-16 weeks of age, so get moving, right away. One new woman a day, one new man a day, one new child a day, one new dog a day, and one new "experience" a day (e.g. hoovers, cars, travelling, washing machines etc etc) is the rule of thumb, until your pup is 16 weeks old, and even after that, continued exposure will keep the socialisation "topped up". Hard work, huh?:)

The three things a dog is most likely to be undersocialised with is men, children, and other dogs. So these are the things that need to be targeted now, making sure his exposure to all of these new things is pleasant... bring treats everywhere with you.

Also, pleeeease don;t let his vaccination status prevent you from socialising him. Merial, the vaccination company, have published a brochure which recognises the importance of socialisation before the vaccinations have finished, and tells you here how to socialise your unvaccinated puppy safely:
http://merial.co.uk/SiteCollectionDocuments/120103_Merial_Puppy_leaflet_final.pdf

Finally, I could have written fatmammycat's post, although my German Shepherd is just gone 2yrs old now. She is a honey, with everyone, but she will make her presence felt if anything untoward happens around the house. To my mind, the mere presence of a big dog is enough to make a would-be burglar go and find a softer target.

And in defense of Westies , I rehomed one to a lady about 6 years ago. The lady awoke one night to the dog going berserk down in the kitchen. She looked out into the garden and there was a man running away from their kitchen door through the garden. So, the dog doesn't have to be a big one to put burglars off, they just have to let would-be burglars know they're there. Burglars don't want to have to deal with a dog.. they'll just move on to the next dogless house in the vast majority of cases.

nala2012

I've never trained nala to be a guard dog but she's turned into a great watch dog. I've socialised her as best i can but if anyone comes near the house she goes crazy barking, as soon as the guest is let in she's fine. Its great comfort when i'm on my own because she has a big bark. My boyfriends friends have been scared of her and they're not scared of nelson who's twice the size of her! One thing i would say is to teach your dog to stop barking when you tell them.

jamesd

We socialised our Akita as a pup as much as we could - we even showed him in local shows at 4/5 months to get him used to people and kids and he is a brilliant guard dog, great with people when we let them in but when they are outside our wall he tells them who is boss. Akita s are natural family protectors.

foxer3640

I've a jack russell that 's a great watchdog and barks to no end when there's anyone around. On thier own, useless, just like your westie:D, but her back up are now two rottweillers.


We never encouraged anything other than good manners, they just guard instinctively as they get older. We got one of the Rotts as a pup and as he's getting a bit older 14 months, he's just showing more reserve and has that ...don't try me look...truth be known, I don't think he'd do anything.

No one will chance a big dog. Thankfully we have never been broken into and I put this down to always having dogs.

We had some stuff stolen from outside and heating oil robbed but not since I got the Rottweillers who stay in the yard by day and inside at night or when myself or wife are home.

People think we're mad for not having them sleep outside at night to 'guard' the place, but they do a better job from inside. Sometimes the JRT starts off an awful racket at night and when we get up the other two run the fence, if anyone was out there, they'd have made tracks.


We never trained them to do this, thay just do it.

LucyBliss

Yeah, we never trained our three terrier cross (though the older two of them get, the more I come to believe that Daddy was a bull terrier of sorts) to be 'guard dogs' either, but they bark the place down whenever anybody comes to the door or if they're in the garden (always supervised) and someone walks up the street. We live in a cul de sac but there's a few rented properties here now so you don't know people like you used to and it's no harm for people to know that there are dogs about who will alert to the presence of strangers, especially as there have been a few break-ins in the area over the past few months.

People have actually rang the doorbell and then when I answer it, they're backing away and will say something like "Oh, your dogs sound like they'll eat me alive, ha ha". I never correct them. If people want to think that there are three blood thirsty fiends in the house, fine by me. People who are family and friends know better and I'm assuming none of them will try to rob us.

Tranceypoo

LucyBliss wrote: »

.

People have actually rang the doorbell and then when I answer it, they're backing away and will say something like "Oh, your dogs sound like they'll eat me alive, ha ha". I never correct them. If people want to think that there are three blood thirsty fiends in the house, fine by me. People who are family and friends know better and I'm assuming none of them will try to rob us.

We're exactly the same, we have 2 and they will bark the place down if someone dares come to the door, I will always always encourage the 'my dogs are really vicious' way of thinking to anyone who comes to the door (even my mother in law, naughty!)

Lagoona Blue

Hi folks , thanks for all the wonderful informative replies . I'm delighted with the pup , have really bonded with him and I never thought I would like to own a big dog ! He's great with the kids and people in general . He's going to be a house pet who will be brought for daily walks but also run around the back garden too when he feels like it .

Somebody wrote a post (Can't remember who ) to say if their house was broken into they hope they dog would hide rather than be hurt . I just wanted to say I would never like my dog to be hurt either in that situation but as someone else pointed out a big dog does prove to be a deterrent and I fully agree so hopefully it would never come to that .

I know now there's no need to train him to be a guard dog as I'm sure he'll come into his own when he's older . We've already toilet trained him and thought him all the commands , he's picked it up really quickly although my westie is not a happy girl! he's much bigger than her and I think she feels a little intimated by him . I keep them together most of the time hoping they will bond and get used to each other but westie is just hididng under tables all day . Pup is growling at her and nipping a lot . When he does this I tell him a firm NO and he stops , any ideas what I should be doing to help them get on or do some dogs just never get on ?

ShaShaBear

Lagoona Blue wrote: »

Hi folks , thanks for all the wonderful informative replies . I'm delighted with the pup , have really bonded with him and I never thought I would like to own a big dog ! He's great with the kids and people in general . He's going to be a house pet who will be brought for daily walks but also run around the back garden too when he feels like it .

Somebody wrote a post (Can't remember who ) to say if their house was broken into they hope they dog would hide rather than be hurt . I just wanted to say I would never like my dog to be hurt either in that situation but as someone else pointed out a big dog does prove to be a deterrent and I fully agree so hopefully it would never come to that .

I know now there's no need to train him to be a guard dog as I'm sure he'll come into his own when he's older . We've already toilet trained him and thought him all the commands , he's picked it up really quickly although my westie is not a happy girl! he's much bigger than her and I think she feels a little intimated by him . I keep them together most of the time hoping they will bond and get used to each other but westie is just hididng under tables all day . Pup is growling at her and nipping a lot . When he does this I tell him a firm NO and he stops , any ideas what I should be doing to help them get on or do some dogs just never get on ?

Swapping bedding is great, make sure you feed them separate, a good bit apart, so there arent any scuffles over food :P If they both like walks, its great to walk them together a bit, preferably if you have someone who can walk the other dog. It gets them used to being beside each other while giving you a bit of physical control over the situation. Don't leave the two of them alone unattended until you see full progress, a puppy that will get very big in no time or a very unhappy westie could do some damage if it came to a fight. Also, keep doing what you're doing with your puppy. If his nips are quite bad, give him a time out - say no and separate him from your westie... he'll soon learn that when he bites her, he gets taken away from her. Make sure your westie gets plenty of attention and affection, its very easy to forget about your dog when theres another puppy in the house

(It was me who said about not wanting my dog to be hurt, I didn't mean to suggest that you did, obviously I can tell you love your furbabies :P I more meant that I would not like to specifically train my dog to protect my house, because then I would feel bad if my actions lead to him getting hurt over a wobbly laptop and a TV )

Lagoona Blue

ShaShaBear wrote: »

Swapping bedding is great, make sure you feed them separate, a good bit apart, so there arent any scuffles over food :P If they both like walks, its great to walk them together a bit, preferably if you have someone who can walk the other dog. It gets them used to being beside each other while giving you a bit of physical control over the situation. Don't leave the two of them alone unattended until you see full progress, a puppy that will get very big in no time or a very unhappy westie could do some damage if it came to a fight. Also, keep doing what you're doing with your puppy. If his nips are quite bad, give him a time out - say no and separate him from your westie... he'll soon learn that when he bites her, he gets taken away from her. Make sure your westie gets plenty of attention and affection, its very easy to forget about your dog when theres another puppy in the house

(It was me who said about not wanting my dog to be hurt, I didn't mean to suggest that you did, obviously I can tell you love your furbabies :P I more meant that I would not like to specifically train my dog to protect my house, because then I would feel bad if my actions lead to him getting hurt over a wobbly laptop and a TV )

Hi . I know what you mean about your dog getting hurt . I would hate that to happen to any of mine . By swapping bedding do you mean actually swapping their beds ? yes I'm feeding separately as pup growls at westy when she is eating from her own bowl even though he has his own ! I think its more of a jealousy thing , if we pet the westie thats when he starts growling and nipping . The funny thing is they sleep in the same room at night , beds beside each other and theres never a sound out of them ! It must be just when the rest of the family are around .

jimf

Tranceypoo wrote: »

We're exactly the same, we have 2 and they will bark the place down if someone dares come to the door, I will always always encourage the 'my dogs are really vicious' way of thinking to anyone who comes to the door (even my mother in law, naughty!)

for your sake i hope your mother in law doesnt know your boards user name

jimf

an old friend of my father had 2 akitas most friendly dogs and biggest pets you ever seen would let anybody into his house/property but did their true side show if you tried to leave without their owner being there would keep you there for hours he said never bit anybody

ShaShaBear

Lagoona Blue wrote: »

Hi . I know what you mean about your dog getting hurt . I would hate that to happen to any of mine . By swapping bedding do you mean actually swapping their beds ? yes I'm feeding separately as pup growls at westy when she is eating from her own bowl even though he has his own ! I think its more of a jealousy thing , if we pet the westie thats when he starts growling and nipping . The funny thing is they sleep in the same room at night , beds beside each other and theres never a sound out of them ! It must be just when the rest of the family are around .

Well if they're sleeping together no problems then it probably wont be needed, but if they have removable cushions in the bed, swap them over so they become accustomed to each others scent. Usually only applicable if they're like that all the time :P